The Madhya Pradesh Housing Board has ordered residents of 600 dilapidated economically weaker section houses in Bhopal’s Aishbagh area to vacate by November 13, ahead of a demolition drive scheduled for November 14. The structures are planned to be replaced with a multi-storey residential complex under the Madhya Pradesh Redevelopment Policy, 2022.

The final notice requires occupants to leave the houses and remove their belongings before the deadline. Demolition will be conducted with assistance from the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and police, according to a press release issued by the Housing Board.

The Board said only 110 of the 600 houses are occupied by their original legal allottees, while the remaining units are under unauthorised occupation. The distinction will determine access to rental assistance during redevelopment. Original allottees who provide written consent to vacate will qualify for monthly support at applicable Collector rates, but unauthorised occupants will not be eligible.

The supplied report does not specify the rental amount, duration of assistance or arrangements for residents during demolition. The houses were declared unsafe by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation in May 2016, while further notices issued in 2018 indicated that safety concerns and the occupancy dispute had continued for several years.

Under the proposed redevelopment, eligible original allottees will receive new flats 20 per cent larger than their existing units. The plan links the removal of unsafe housing with reconstruction of the Aishbagh settlement as a multi-storey complex. However, details about the redevelopment contractor, construction timeline, number of replacement flats and the process for handing over new homes have not been provided. The November 13 vacation deadline falls one day before the scheduled demolition, which will take place with police and municipal assistance.